Metal oxide semiconductor materials have been extensively investigated as photocatalysts for photodegradation of organic pollutants in water and air. Most of these investigations have focused on TiO2 and TiO2 catalysts doped with other metal ions and sometimes anions. Generally, such photodegradation catalysts are susceptible to limited photon efficiencies due to recombination of electron-hole pairs, therefore reducing the overall photon efficiencies of the catalysts. One measure of a catalyst's usefulness, however, is its efficiency. Thus, the relatively low efficiency of such oxide-based photocatalyst composition represents a limitation on their commercial viability. Accordingly, there is a need for a high-efficiency photodegradation catalyst or photodegradation catalyst precursor that has an improved control over the recombination of electron-hole pairs.